iPod Shuffle Challenge Again
by GrandiloquentHeartlessness
Summary: a series of one-shots set to music, as per the rules of the iPod Shuffle Challenge. Rated T for brief, strong language.


iPod shuffle challenge:

Choose a fandom or ship to write about. Turn on your music player to shuffle/random Based on whatever song comes on, write a fanfiction Here's the catch- you only have the time while the song is playing to write. After the song ends, you MUST move on to a story inspired by the next song. (This gives you an average of 4 minutes per story.) Write ten of these.

(and ok, I admit I don't always follow these rules precisely. A lot of times I listen to the whole song once and then write, and I always edit after. Also, if I absolutely cannot think of a story to write, I'll skip the song. I want to give y'all quality work, after all.

But still, it's an amazing challenge, both because of the length limit and because of the fact that it's to music, which is my first love. ^.^)

* * *

**1. If It Means A Lot To You by A Day To Remember**

Portia sighed, setting her head in her hands. He was touring. Again.

She knew. She KNEW the music was important. But... Well.... She was his wife, dammit. and that should count for something, right?

The phone rang and she jumped. It was him.

"Tommy?"

"Hey, Portia. I was just calling to say that we're extending the tour. Three more weeks."

She gasped "what? Why?"

"Because, baby. This is great publicity. We're getting exposure. We're getting MONEY. D is practically jumping out of his skin, he's so excited."

"But... Tommy... What about me?"

"Porsh. Please. Not this."

"Tommy, I'm _married to you_" she gritted her teeth. "Doesn't that mean anything at all?"

"Of course it does, babe. But, come on, you knew this when we got married. what you were getting into. It's... it's the music, baby."

Portia swore she heard a girl's laugh in the background. She tensed.

"Hey. I gotta go. Just... hang on 'til I get back, ok? You can wait that long can't you?"

"Whatever."

"Bye."

"Tommy, I love you." but he'd already hung up.

_If you can wait 'til I get home, I swear to you, we can make this last._

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

**2. Trading Heartbeats by Every Avenue**

Chaz had been drunk. So had Kwest.

"You wanna know a secret, Porsh?" Chaz had whispered. "Your dear devoted husband." he snorted "He's been sleeping around. New girl in every city. And there's this girl Angie. She says" he laughed drunkenly "she says he's leavin' you to marry her."

Portia knew she shouldn't be surprised. But it felt like a slap in the face. She cried.

But the more she thought about it, the less it stung. the more pissed off she got.

"You know what, Tommy?" she had shouted at him "I don't even care anymore. Do whatever the fuck you want with whoever the fuck you want. It's just sex. Meaningless. One day, you're gonna look back and know what you missed with me." there were tears coursing down her cheeks. His features were hard. She threw her wedding ring at him.

_You're just trading heartbeats, baby. You're just trading the person between the sheets. You're just trading heartbeats, baby. and that's fine with me.  
_

~*~*~*~*~*~

**3. Cross My Heart by Marianas Trench**

As soon as she left, Tommy went crazy. She was gone. She was gone.

He broke everything in his apartment, practically. Slept in a daze of dreams about her.

Sadie, Spiederman, Karma, Kwest, hell- even Jamie tried to console him, assure him it was the right thing. It didn't work.

He tried. He tried to stay away. Tried to let her go and give her what she wanted. But it was like... like she'd taken a part of him.

"take me with you" he whispered to dream Jude as she boarded a plane. He missed her.

He felt like he wanted to run across the ocean to get her back.

After a month of torture, he boarded a plane.

He would find her.

_I will run to you 'til I can't stand on my own anymore. I cross my heart and hope to die_

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

**4. Finders Keepers (Acoustic Version) by You Me At Six**

It was a strange dance they did, Jude and Tommy. Their relationship was a strange whirl of cold shoulders, heated arguments, sweet kisses, forbidden love, secrets, lies...

She loved him while she was supposed to be dating other people, and sometimes couldn't stand him when she had him.

He broke her heart more times than she could count. How strange that she kept giving it back to him.

He wasn't right for her. He said that often. They were not right together. Otherwise they'd stay a couple.

Right?

He was cold, and closed off. Frozen, like in his song. He drank. He cheated.

He was her teacher. He understood her. He challenged her. He was so sweet. They were in love.

She couldn't keep away.

What a strange dance they did.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**5. Sick Little Games by All Time Low**

They say fame is like a drug.

If that's true, Karma is definitely a junkie.

She flirts with the tabloids, keeping a hint of scandal around her at all times in case the public should forget her.

It hurts people around her. Spied is such a laid back guy. But Karma loves him, so she tries so hard to hold back. But she's never been one who can resist shiny things, and lots of attention.

Spied leaves her. Says he can't take the craziness anymore. Not knowing what's more important- him of the fame. She is confused. Hurt. Lost. But she tries to use it. For attention. As another publicity stunt. Because that's what she's good at. That's what she's used to.

She knows she should stop. Get away. But it's like a game. A sick little game that she plays with the spotlight. It's an addiction. She's already lost everything. Why stop now?

_I'm wasting my days, I throw them away, losing it all on these sick little games._

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

**6. Hey, Soul Sister by Train** (I kind of took one line and spun it into a story. The real song is sweet, but much less sappy than this, trust me. :P)

Tommy always thought Jude looked amazing. But when she was on stage, she blew his mind. When she sang, a light seemed to pour out of her.

Tommy would sometimes just sit and watch her as she played guitar, (as creepy as that sounds) watching her smile at the feel of the strings beneath her fingers, and the sound of the chords she could produce.

He wanted to take her all in. Watch her forever. He couldn't stop smiling sometimes. Strange, for a man to whom smiling didn't come at all naturally most of the time.

Once, they were having a picnic (cliche, maybe, but amazing none the less) and Jude noticed Tommy staring and remarked on it. "What are you looking at so intently, Quincy?"

He smiled "Nothing, Harrison. Just... You."

She laughed, giving him a strange look. "Whatever you say, Tommy."

He kissed her. "I just don't want to miss any part of this, Jude. I'm not used to being so happy"

_Hey, soul sister. I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight_

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

**7. Six Feet Under The Stars by All Time Low**

Jamie could not do this.

Patsy was miles cooler than him. In a totally terrifying way.

Their "first date", if you could call it that, was a disaster. He almost got them kicked out of a club by pointing out that they were too young to be there. He was way overdressed, in his button-down black shirt, jacket, and (god) pressed khakis. She looked scary and fantastic in hard rock clothes that he couldn't even dream of being able to pull off.

They shared a bottle of Jager, which Jamie had to fight not to spit out.

It was freezing outside, and Jamie was shivering. But when he looked at Patsy she seemed fine. He theorized that it was her wild, insatiable energy that kept her warm in the Canadian winter air.

He found himself saying horrible, cheesy first date lines. The exact opposite of what Patsy would respond to. Like a bad movie.

At one point Patsy looked at him and said "Chill out. Hell's not so bad when you get used to the heat."

He didn't know what that meant, but strangely, wildly, Jamie thought, "Well, if I'm going to hell, I'm really glad it's with Patsy"

~*~*~*~*~*~

**8. All At Once by The Fray**

Torn would be an understatement.

Jamie, sweet Jamie. He was something comfortable. He loved her. He was her best friend. They understood each other. It was the easy way out.

But Tommy. He was fiery, and unreliable, and he pissed her off to no end. But she somehow couldn't stop coming back to him.

Jude knew she had to choose. Either way, she would lose someone. Either way it would hurt. "Jude" Sadie said "Sometimes the right thing's going to be painful, ok? But you've got to choose. You can't... lead them on. Either of them."

Jude felt trapped.

_and all at once the crowd begins to sing/sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same_

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

**9. Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy by Fall Out Boy**

Jamie watched them flirt through the glass walls of the sound booth. He frowned. Tommy didn't treat her right. It was sick. All the times Jamie had had to pick up the pieces of Jude's heart after Quincy had shattered it. And she kept going back to him.

_It should be me_ Jamie thought sullenly. Even if he wouldn't be the perfect boyfriend, he'd at least be better than Quincy.

But as sick as it was, for some reason, Jude needed the bastard. He was her whole world. And for that reason, Jamie would accept him. For Jude.

_But it should still be me_ Jamie thought bitterly as Tommy twisted Jude's hair around his finger as callously as he twisted her heart.

~*~*~*~*~*~

**10. Save Some by Glacier Hiking**

Tommy would occasionally let slip something about girls from his past, and it sometimes kept Jude up at night thinking about them. It wasn't so much the idea of the actual sex that bothered her, though that wasn't exactly pleasant thought either. It was more the worry that they knew something about him that she didn't. Like each and every one of them held a piece of him that she could never get to. A shard of shared history she'd never have.

Tommy kissed her and said "Jude, come on. Think about it. Does the fact that you dated Jamie or Spied make this mean any less? Does something you shared with Shay?"

"Of course not."

"Then why should a bunch of stupid one night stands?"

"Just save a little pice of that ever-mysterious heart for me, Quincy, ok? Promise."

With _Her _Look in his eyes he said "You've got the whole thing, girl."

* * *

**REVIEWS MAKE WRITING WORTH IT**


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